Late Week Rain Caps A Preview Of Fall In Puget Sound: Forecast

SEATTLE — Puget Sound will keep flirting with fall for the last full week of summer, with forecasters anticipating afternoon temperatures largely below 70 and culminating in the first significant rainfall in months. Monday and Tuesday will start things off on a familiar foot to Sunday, as decreasing clouds give way to pleasant and somewhat sunny afternoons.

The next chance for some showers is on tap Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, as temperatures begin to trend a bit cooler. Forecasters predict the main event will arrive late in the week, starting with Friday — a day that could see more precipitation than the last three months combined and temperatures struggling to escape the 50s.

"Conditions will noticeably change on Friday as a pattern change sets up," NWS Seattle wrote Sunday. "While general timing of this frontal system will be fine-tuned over the next several days, expect an overall wet day to cap out the week, with current rainfall estimates of around a half an inch in the lowlands and 3/4th to around 1 inch of precipitation over the higher terrain into Saturday morning."

Here is the 5-day weather outlook for the Seattle area:

• Monday: 68°/52° (Decreasing clouds)
• Tuesday: 72°/56° (Mostly sunny/PM chance of rain)
• Wednesday: 65°/50° (Chance of showers, then partly sunny)
• Thursday: 67°/51° (Partly sunny/PM chance of rain)
• Friday: 62°/54° (Rain)

The weekend may prove to be even more interesting, depending on how the incoming systems shape up.

"Saturday will be the day of this forecast period that will need to be monitored closely," forecasters wrote. "Widely scattered showers are likely at this point in time, but will go ahead and introduce the possibility of thunderstorms."

The early seasonal shift will be welcome for many in Puget Sound, following one of the driest summers on record.